The national capital woke up to a cold-polluted Sunday morning with minimum temperature recorded at 8 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average and a "very-poor" air-quality.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the sky will remain partly clouded with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 26 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile the major pollutant concentration PM2.5, or particles with diameter less than 2.5 micrometers across Delhi-NCR at 9 a.m. was 218 units -- eight times more than the safe limit.

According to the Central Pollution Control Authority (CPCB), the air-quality fell under "severe-plus or emergency" levels at Anand Vihar in west Delhi with PM2.5 reaching 433 in the morning -- 17 times the safe limit, sector 125 Noida and Vasundhara in Ghaziabad.

In Delhi, Delhi Technical University (DTU) in north Delhi and R.K Puram in south-west Delhi fell under "severe" air-quality.

While monitoring agencies predict the air-pollution situation to worsen over days, respite is likely towards Tuesday with possibilities of light rains.

"The national capital is likely to witness light rainfall on Tuesday, which may improve the air-quality," an IMD official told IANS.

The humidity on Sunday at 8.30 a.m. was recorded at 92 per cent.

Saturday's minimum temperature was 7.4 degrees Celsis, two notches below the season's average while the maximum temperature was recorded at 26.4 degrees Celsius.